(The Murder in the Middle East)

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I don't own Bones.

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"I owe it to Cam, Bones. She's my friend." He was packing for a quick trip to Iran and Booth could see that Brennan was worried. They had found out that morning that Arastoo was in trouble in Iran and Cam was determined to fly there and rescue him. Booth couldn't allow her to go by herself. "I know you'd do the same if you could, but you're pregnant . . . I have to do this."

She understood. Her husband was loyal to his friends and he would never let Cam fly to Iran without backup. "I do understand, Booth. I'm just worried about . . . you won't be able to attend Gambler's Anonymous meetings while you're there."

Amused, Booth chuckled. "I may not be able to attend my meetings, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to gamble there either. No one would be crazy enough to take a bet from me. I'm a foreigner and they couldn't risk me flying home and not paying my debts. I'll be fine. I promise and if I'm feeling a little antsy, I'll call you and you can talk me down."

"Alright." She had to trust him. This was all about trust. "Just be careful and don't die."

"Yeah, don't worry about me." He hated to leave his partner this far along in her pregnancy, but Cam needed his help and he couldn't let her navigate through what was going on in Iran by herself.

As calm as she could be, Brennan moved closer to Booth and kissed him. "I will miss you."

"Yeah and I'll miss you too." Booth had a job to do. Help Cam rescue Arastoo, bring them both home and make sure he continued his meetings once he got back. He wasn't doing too bad, but he knew it was a process and he wasn't ready to say he was back to normal, whatever normal meant. Have I ever been normal? Probably not.

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While Booth was gone, Aubrey filled in for Booth and took care of his paperwork. Whatever needed Booth's signature could wait, but he could look through reports and handle any cases that might crop up. Brennan knew that he was Booth's backup and she was prepared to work a case with him if it was needed.

While he sat at Booth's desk going over the Jenkins case to make sure all the paperwork was filled out right, he wasn't aware that he was being watched.

Standing in the bullpen, Sweets observed Aubrey sitting at Booth's desk and felt a stab of jealousy. He had approved of Aubrey when the agent first arrived and felt that he would be a good partner for Booth since Brennan wanted to spend more time in the Lab, but over the weeks he had started to feel that Booth preferred Aubrey's help on cases instead of him. He had worked with Booth for a long time and to be replaced by someone from the Baltimore office in a matter of weeks was disconcerting and it hurt. Not sure what he should do about it, Sweets walked over to the doorway and leaned on the door frame. "Dr. Brennan says Booth and Cam are trying to solve a murder in Iran so that Arastoo can come back to the states."

"Yeah, some political bigwig's son was murdered and he wants to know who did it. He's using Arastoo to get what he wants." Aubrey placed the report he was working on back on the desk, leaned back against the chair and stared at the psychologist. "It's a mess, but everyone is working on it and they should figure it out pretty quickly . . . if they don't get arrested for doing something they shouldn't." Aubrey was leery of the situation Booth and Cam were in, but Booth was a former U.S. Army Ranger and if anyone knew how to navigate in a foreign country then that was Booth.

"I guess Booth should be alright while he's in Iran." Sweets kept his eyes on the agent's face. "It's not like he'll be able to gamble over there."

His face expressionless, Aubrey placed his hands on the arms of the chair and paused before answering. He didn't know what Sweets was up to and he knew that Booth considered the man to be a friend, but he wasn't going to play games with another man's life. "Booth is a reformed gambler. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any plans to start again."

"So . . . you know he was a gambler?" Sweets had suspected that the agent knew, but this just confirmed it. "Not very many people know that."

Shrugging his shoulders, Aubrey decided to remain silent. Booth had told him in strict confidence that he had to increase his GA meetings for a few weeks and he needed help with his workload. He had been flattered that Booth trusted him with something that personal and he wasn't going to betray Booth's trust.

"I see." Glad that Aubrey wasn't a gossip, Sweets knew that Booth guarded his private life very closely, so if he trusted Aubrey then he was glad for Booth. "Well, I have work to do . . . my office is on the third floor if you ever want to drop by and talk. I'm a good listener. It doesn't have to be work related. It can be anything you want to talk about."

"Thanks, but I'm fine." Aubrey picked up the folder he had been reading and flipped it open. "You know Booth doesn't throw his friends away. Look what he's doing for Dr. Saroyan . . . just thought I'd mention that."

Surprised, Sweets stared at the agent for a few moments before responding. "Um, yeah, thanks." Once he was out of the room, Sweets moved through the bullpen and over to the elevator. Do I look that needy? I mean Booth is my friend and I know he's not throwing that friendship away just because he's working with Aubrey, but really? Did I look that pathetic? I hope not.

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Back in the country, Booth didn't waste anytime going home. As he pulled up in the driveway, he saw that the light was on in the living room and assumed Brennan was still awake. Glancing at his watch, he noticed it was close to 10:35 p.m. and he worried that his wife wasn't getting enough sleep. Entering the house, he placed his bag on the couch and walked into the kitchen where he found his partner drinking some club soda. "Hey Bones." He moved across the room and placed his arms around her after she rose and stepped across the floor to meet him. "God, I missed you . . . Are you okay? Is the baby okay? Christine?"

Satisfied with their kiss for the moment, Brennan sat down and motioned for Booth sit as well. "I'm find, we're all fine. Are you alright?"

"Well . . . I wasn't a little while ago." Booth knew he had to be honest. "As soon as I landed in the airport, I . . . felt the urge to gamble. I thought about it. I thought about you and Christine and our baby boy and I knew I had to come home and here I am . . . You're my rock, Bones. You help me be a better man."

A little shocked that Booth was still considering gambling, Brennan placed her hand on his arm. "Booth . . . I don't know . . . I thought the meetings were helping you."

He could see the concern on her face and he knew that he needed to explain what was going on. "I'm being honest with you Bones because you need to know what's going on. There isn't a cure for gambling. I have to fight that every day. The drum in my chest has been quieter lately, but I guess my adrenaline was higher than normal while I was in Iran and . . . gambling is a rush, Bones and . . . when I got back and everything was calmer, I heard the drum beating louder . . . I ignored it and I came home. Tomorrow, I'll probably go to a couple of meetings and work to muffle that drum again . . . It's hard work, but I can do it. Don't worry about me. I know what I have to lose and I'm not about to give up everything I have for an addiction. I'm not my father."

"No, you're not your father." Brennan grasped his arm. "I think I can help you muffle that drum tonight, Booth. You and me, we can make love and I know that will help muffle the drum."

"It sure will." Standing, Booth took Brennan's hands and helped her to stand. "I missed you while I was gone. You would have probably loved seeing Tehran. I'm sorry you had to stay behind, but . . . well, I'm back now and . . . I love you, Bones."

Hooking her arm around Booth's arm, they slowly walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway to their bedroom. "I missed you too, Booth . . . We had a case while you were in Iran, but Dr. Edison worked with Agent Park on it. I consulted, but I was busy working on Arastoo's case in Iran, so Dr. Edison did most of the work on his case. He discovered the cause of death and once the identity of the victim was discovered Agent Park confronted his suspect and the man confessed."

They were now in their bedroom and Booth closed the door behind them. "Let's not talk shop. I mean it's kind of hot when we're the investigators, but not when someone else is . . . get it?"

"Oh, I do, Booth." Unbuttoning her blouse, Brennan watched her man strip his clothes off. "I see someone is in a hurry."

Moving closer to Brennan, he helped her remove her clothes. "Not in a hurry, I just thought . . . Okay, yes, I'm in a hurry, Bones . . . you are so damn hot."

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